Storing Bulk Foods | Flour, Sugar Rice, and Beans

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosureBy Mavis Butterfield on January 26, 2015 · 10 Comments

Over the past few weeks I’ve had a some people ask how I store my bulk food items like beans, rice and sugar. The truth is, I feel kind of silly even posting these pictures because my method is so stinkin’ simple. 😉

Previously I stored our bulk items in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Lids, and it’s a great option. Emptying a 25 bags of beans and popping the lid on was easy, but I really like being able to stuff several bags of flour or beans in the clear bins just a wee bit better. Plus, I feel like the rectangular bins can be used for other stuff when I’m not using them for food storage.

They also stack really well!

So where do I store them? In the awkward room under the stairs next to the Christmas decorations. See, I told you how I store bulk foods wasn’t that exciting. 😉 And for your next question, NO, I’m not worried about bugs or mice getting into my bins. Not one bit. I have never had a problem.

How about YOU? Where do you store your bulk foods?

~Mavis

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Comments

I try to leave a shelf open in my freezer and freeze all my bulk flour and oats for a couple days just in case then pull it out and store it in plastic storage bins, like you do, in the playroom closet.

I picked up a few dog food storage bins for my 50lb sacks for flour and sugar. They have wheels on the bottom and they’re food safe. They have lots in different sizes (much bigger than your typical food-grade Rubbermaid) for smaller amounts too.

We got pantry (indian meal) moths via either a bag of brown rice or a bag of quinoa from Costco about 1.5 years ago. My mother-in-law got them from a Costco container of oatmeal. After than experience, I’m forever ruined for simple food storage. Since then I’ve only been buying small quantities and either storing in the freezer or storing in glass hermetic jars I’ve been gathering slowly; they’re expensive.

I’ll keep an eye on everyone’s storage tips; if you have pest-tight suggestions, please share. I miss buying larger quantities, but need the peace of mind to know if I get another contaminated product at Costco it’ll stay contained and not devastate my kitchen (and my sanity.)

I, too, put all flour and other grains into the freezer. I leave them for two weeks then put them into a metal 30 gallon garbage can in the garage. Never a problem with bugs. I do dust the cans with DE before use but they are dry and pretty air tight. Has worked well.

I concur with Tracey–about freezing flour, rice, etc. FIRST. I live on the island of Aruba and EVERY thing is imported. Foods arrive with eggs already in the staples. I’ve opened bags of rice with “webs” and larvae in the corners and had to throw it all out. THEN, I learned what the “locals” do. Freezing kills everything. Once cooked, those eggs and larvae is just extra protein! 🙂

A couple of years ago I battled pantry moths too. It was a headache, I threw away SO MUCH.
I have a chest freezer and also store my flour in there all the time now. Other items like oatmeal and rice go in the freezer for a few weeks before I store them in a pantry. Seems to do the trick.

Freezing food is a must here too. or when it is so cold, you stick it out on the patio where everything freezes in a tote- locked on lid or weighted down- because of raccoons that would love to get into whatever is there, even in the city. I like to put things in canisters, glass jars in the pantry..